Rainstorms lead to mudslides near Palm Springs (video)

Torrents of rain transformed the scorched hillsides and mountains around Palm Springs, Calif., into roaring rivers of mud and debris.

Dramatic video shot in the aftermath of the massive storms shows local roads being rapidly swallowed.

Massive rainstorms near Palm Springs led to heavy mudslides along flooded roads, creating multiple closures, local station KESQ reported.

The sound of the mudflow was alarming.

"I walked out in my garage and I could hear this. And I just wanted to see what it was. I couldn't imagine but I guess there's a lot of rain in the mountains," Bob Benat, who lives north of the flood zone, told the station.

This was the first rainstorm in the area since a mountain fire in July burned much of the vegetation on nearby slopes, reports KESQ.

According to the California Department of Public Health, landslides and mudslides result in 25-50 deaths every year in the United States. Mudslides usually start on "steep slopes." Areas that recently experienced fires are at a particularly high risk.